Can a Small Home Work For a Growing Family?

Are you wondering how to make a small home work for a growing family? It can feel stressful when you are trying to plan for more children, but you can’t afford to move to a larger house. But we’re here to help… keep reading for ideas and inspiration to help your family live comfortably in a small space.

Families grow fast and unexpectedly. When you bought your home, maybe you only had one or two kids.

But several years later, you find yourself with a few more kids and several large pets. Not everyone has the energy to find a bigger home, sell the old one, and go through the buying process again.

If you don’t, it’s okay. You can expand the space in your existing home in other ways to make it work for everyone in your family.

Get space-saving furniture and ditch the decorative pieces

Furniture takes up significant space. If you’re not a minimalist, furniture may pose the most challenging adjustments you’ll have to make, but it’s worth it.

Do you have those decorative pieces in hallways that hold up a couple of photos and some candles? Ditch those first. Hallway furniture makes the house seem smaller, and if you’re not using it for storage, you’re wasting the space.

Make better use of your bedrooms

If your guest bedroom doesn’t welcome guests frequently, thinking about eliminating it. Guests don’t necessarily expect to be accorded their own bedroom when they stay at someone’s home.

Freeing up your guest bedroom creates more space for storage or a bigger area for activities you’ve conducted in a cramped room.

Does you use your home office only sparingly? If you’re in there only to check Facebook, watch YouTube, and chat with friends, it might be better to transform your office into a storage room.

Move people strategically to the right bedrooms

The fastest way to create space is to give your kids the master bedroom. Giving that up may be tough, but when you see how that increases the living space in your home, you may wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

When kids have more bedroom space, they’ll have more room to play. More room to play in their bedroom equals fewer toys piled up in common areas.

Know what to remodel vs. reorganize

What family isn’t on a budget? Knowing what to remodel or reorganize is crucial for spending only as much money as you’ve designated for home expansion.

Reorganizing is a breeze if you plan it right. The first thing is to go through your home and donate, recycle, or trash anything you don’t use. Start the reorganization process with as little stuff on hand as possible; otherwise, you’ll be restacking boxes of belongings.

If you’ve got substantial funds, a remodel of your existing home is an option. Home extensions don’t have to be fancy. Some homeowners extend their home into the backyard to add a family room or another master bedroom.

Be inspired by families living in tiny homes

You don’t need to move into a tiny home to appreciate the organizational genius required to make it work for a family. These two families of four figured out how to live in a 200-square foot home, and enjoy the benefits.

They whittled their possessions down to the only what’s needed and spend more time with each other. Life in a tiny home inspired them to spend more time outdoors and be creative about daily activities for the kids.

They also save money by spending less on repairs and maintenance, and don’t pay as much for basic utilities like water and garbage.

Lean toward becoming a minimalist

In terms of furniture, a minimalist keeps only what he or she truly needs. The organized minimalist will make sure everything is stashed neatly in boxes, tubs, and drawers behind a closed door.

Rather than line your walls with furniture just to hold trinkets, try to minimize the amount of furniture you use and make sure the things you have to store are hidden. The less clutter is in your living space, the more you’ll be able to enjoy it.

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About Jenna Cyprus

Jenna is a freelance writer and business consultant who covers business, technology, and entrepreneurship. She's lectured for several universities, and worked with over 100 businesses over the course of the last 15 years. She's a mother of two kids, and loves to go camping, hiking, and skiing with her family. Follow her on Twitter.